Oklahoma City Thunder November Report Card

If you are an Oklahoma City Thunder fan you should be smiling right now. Through November OKC was 9-8 which is a far cry from what they were this time last year. This team has the potential to make some noise in the Western Conference this year.

In this monthly breakdown I will grade the offense, defense, as well as give 3 bright spots, and 3 low lights thus far.

ACT I-November

Offense-From an offensive perspective Oklahoma City definitely has made strides since April but, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Sometimes the Thunder offense lacks movement which has led to serveral stagnate possessions thus causing frustration among fans. As the team continues to mesh I predict there will be less stagnate offensive moments as the season crawls along.

My Offense grade: B-

Defense-Ever since the OKC Thunder hired former Chicago Bulls assistant Ron Adams late in the 2008 season, defense has steadily made positive strides. However, with a young team there are always growing pains. With the emergence of players like Eton Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha, and Serge Ibaka on the defensive side things are looking bright. The Thunder still has a tendency to take possessions off at the defensive end because about 5-6 times a game they forget to rotate to the open shooter. This can possibly account for about 12 to 15 extra points for the opponent all because leave someone open, thus losing games.

My Defense grade: C+ 

Bright Spots:

1. James Harden-Even since being drafted #3 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft Harden has  made an Impact. James Harden brings loads of energy of the bench. Often times he is the Thunder's 6th man and gives tremendous effort. His 3-point field goal percentage continues to climb, shooting in the 30s.

2. Serge Ibaka-Again yet another rookie makes the bright spots list but, for different reasons. His defensive intensity is possibly highest on the team. He is constantly fighting for loose balls and plays with a lot of heart.

3. Jeff Green-There is more to the game than just scoring points. Green does the dirty, often under recoginized work for Oklahoma City. Some nights he may only tally single digits in the points column but, in the same game may have double digit rebounds. He can do it all if need be.

Low lights

1. Substitution rotations-If Eton Thomas is going to be a benefit to the franchise he has to play more minutes! The man brings energy play him!

2. Nenad Krstic-His play brings to mind thoughts of a roller coaster. One game he scores 14 or so, the next game he scores six! I realize he has been injured but if he cannot be productive on a consistent basis take him out!

3. Kevin Durant's ball handling-He is a superstar for a young and upcoming team, but he still has a lot of growing to do. Several times this season already he has had his pocket picked in the open court. All that is is a lack of focus and if he focuses for 48 minutes he may be a future Hall of Famer!

That is your Thunder report card for November 2009.